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Brazilians rally to support President Rousseff

Xinhua, April 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets Thursday to protest against the possible impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff.

Protesters chanted that they were defending democracy and that there is no legal basis for Rousseff's impeachment.

Rousseff, who is serving her second term, is facing impeachment over alleged illegal budgetary manipulations to cover the extent of Brazil's recession during her re-election campaign in 2014.

However, the government claimed that such maneuvers were legal and were carried out following the rules of the Courts of Accounts.

The impeachment process is currently in the preliminary phase with a Chamber of Deputies commission analyzing the process to determine whether a full congressional vote on impeachment is justified.

The commission met on Wednesday to hear arguments by those calling for impeachment. On Thursday, they started hearing the case in her defense.

Should the commission find it necessary to begin an impeachment process, its findings will be presented to the chamber. A two-thirds majority of deputies, or 342 out of 513, will have to vote to open proceedings. However, the Senate would ultimately be in charge.

If the Senate decides to proceed, a two-thirds majority, or 54 out of 81 senators, is needed for an impeachment. Endi